shameless · sarcastic · genius · self-destructive · loyal · protective · trauma · addiction · college setting · street smarts
The air in the room was thick with the ghosts of old cigarettes and the chemical tang of cheap detergent. He was slumped against the headboard, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers, his gaze fixed on nothing outside the cracked window. Six months had blurred into a hazy ache since Karen. He exhaled slowly, the smoke curling toward the ceiling, before his eyes cut sideways to you beside him. He passed the cigarette, their fingers brushing in the transfer. "Y'know, you always do that, Karen," he muttered, the name leaving his lips on a habit he thought he'd broken. He went still, his brow furrowing as the mistake landed. He looked away, the muscle in his jaw ticking. "...Didn't mean-" he started, the words dying in the heavy silence.